


The Moonweaver's Deal

by Missevilhat13



Category: Critical Role, The Mighty Nein - Fandom
Genre: Canon Divergent, Canonical Character Death, Fluff, I'm widomauk trash, Kinda?, M/M, Molly lives, Resurrection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-11 23:52:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16862350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missevilhat13/pseuds/Missevilhat13
Summary: Caleb leaves Shady Creek Run to visit Molly's grave, in the hopes that any God will answer his prayers.





	1. The moon is our friend for the lonesome to talk to.

**Author's Note:**

> "The moon is our friend for the lonesome to talk to." Carl Sandberg

Caleb nodded to the stable hand and took one of the horses, giving it a quiet hush as he mounted it and left the town of Shady Creek Run. He rode swiftly once he was past the sight of the impromptu guards and allowed the moon to light his path. He considered himself fortunate that it was a full moon tonight. Hopefully, he would have her attention.

Caleb knelt before Molly’s grave and held the sleeves of Molly’s flamboyant overcoat that was draped over his grave marker and closed his eyes, engraining the clash of colors that somehow complimented the lavender Tiefling perfectly into his mind. He had never considered himself a religious man, however as he pulled the small bouquet from his ratty coat, and lay it on the grave, he prayed as hard as he could. 

He ignored the snow and the cold pressing down on him, clutching his hands tightly together as his fingers went numb. His breath came out in a fog and he glanced up at the moon, hoping beyond hope that the Deity that Mollymauk claimed to worship cared even the tiniest amount for Caleb. 

The horse gave a startled whinny and tapped the ground with its hooves and then He felt a hand on his shoulder, light but none the less present. He whipped around, coming face to face with a young woman. She was wearing a kind smile and her eyes shimmered in the darkness. He had never seen such a young person with such silver hair, nor a person with Elven features with blue skin. Her dress didn’t quite seem to exist, but it draped her body in an attractive way that made Caleb blush. 

“I do not believe I have met you. It is not often I come across a human that prays to me.” She said, her voice like the gentle ringing of bells. She looked from him to the grave and walked over, seeming to glide and felt the folds of Molly’s coat. She cast shadows in her wake, but whatever she touched was illuminated by her glow.

So, this was The Moon weaver.

“I see, a friend of yours fell.” She said sorrowfully and looked at Caleb, examining every inch of the mud covered ginger.

“What would you have me do, young one? What request do you have?”

“…please…bring him back…” Caleb said, his tears welling up in his eyes as he choked out the response. The Moon weaver looked startled and looked down at the grave again.

“He was more than a friend? A lover?” she asked, smiling mischievously. Behind her silver eyes though, Caleb could see excitement as she waited expectantly for his response. Caleb looked down and sniffed.

“I…wanted to tell him…but I never got the chance. I wanted to…get my own ducks in a row before I dragged anymore people down with me…” He said, and she raised an eyebrow.

“I see…I do not know if I can convince The Raven Queen, she holds more power than I. You are aware of her laws, yes?” 

“Please, he didn’t deserve to die.”

“Oh Child…few do. That is part of life.” She said, cupping her blue, shimmering hand around his cheek. She wiped away a tear and sighed, planting a kiss on his forehead. 

She closed her eyes and was silent, seeming to stop time entirely. Caleb could feel some hold over his body, like someone had cast Slow. Eventually, she gave a nod. Caleb saw from behind her that the Moon had dropped at least 15 degrees in the sky.

“The Raven Queen was reluctant; however, she has agreed. On the understanding that you will become one of her servants when your time comes. She has laws she must enforce, and providing exceptions comes at a price. Do you understand?” She said, and Caleb nodded quickly and wiped his eyes.

“Very well. Here are my conditions. You must dig him up, with your bare hands. Once he is free, you must kiss him on his cold lips, and whisper this to him…” She said and whispered into Caleb’s ear, causing him to blush. She gave a light hearted laugh as she saw his flushed face.

“I am the moon, the guardian of lovers and trysts and those who live in shadow. If you truly do love this man, do as I say, and one more thing.” She said, and Caleb nodded.  
“I will restore his memory if you promise to keep him warm this night. Do not leave this spot until you see the rising sun. Complete this task before Sunrise and you will have your lover back. Those are my conditions.” She said and with that, there was nothing but her light coming from the moon. Caleb rolled up his sleeves and sent out a few globules of light, one hovering near the grave and another by his shoulder. Keeping someone warm would be a lot easier if he had a fire going. 

Once the fire was burning, lighting up the night sky, Caleb set about to digging up Molly. The horse snorted as it knelt by the fire, watching Caleb with interest. 

While the soil above him was still loose, the snow had frozen the top layer, making it break away into chunks, and Caleb could feel the start of the bruises despite his numb fingers. He bit his lip and breathed into his hands, breathing some warmth back into them and started again.

He worked methodically, starting at the head of the grave and working his way down, repeating this every inch or so. He would pause and warm his hands, looking up at the night sky and wipe away his sweat as he began again. 

His heart skipped a beat as he brushed away the final layer of soil, pulling away the tapestry of The Platinum Dragon they buried him in, revealing the face of Mollymauk. He had to admit the irony of it. Burying him in a tapestry of a god he didn’t worship. It was Molly that had purchased it and that had later wrapped himself in after a raunchy evening. Perhaps The Moon weaver had found that amusing. 

They had managed to close the Tiefling’s eyes when they buried him, and despite the dried blood that came from his mouth, or the blood stained shirt that clung to his body, he looked peaceful. With a grunt, Caleb lifted up his corpse, dragging him out of the grave and lay him down beside the fire. He paused to catch his breath and took some snow, wiping it across Molly’s lips to clear the blood then He reached for Molly’s coat and dressed him in it, smoothing it out. He sighed as his magic lights all dissipated simultaneously.

Caleb gulped and looked at the moon again. It didn’t respond, but the Moon weaver had already given him instructions. He really should be fortunate. He didn’t even need a diamond, possibly the rarest commodity there was. There was no going back now. He gingerly planted a kiss on Molly’s lips, feeling the cold, stiff lips of his friend against his and then whispered into his ear and waited. A cold shiver passed through him and the fire waved despite the lack of wind. The contract was sealed. The fire light made Molly’s horn jewelry shine and Caleb tapped his thighs, waiting, and watching his own breath come out in a cloud. He stiffly pulled off his own coat and scarf and draped that over him as well, pulling the Tiefling into his arms. 

He didn’t move.


	2. Death cannot stop true love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Death cannot stop true love. It can only delay it for a while." The Princess Bride(1987)

Caleb bit his lip and began to comb his fingers through Molly’s hair, dusting off the remaining dirt from his jewelry. Molly’s head was resting on his chest and Caleb could feel tears begin to well up in his eyes. 

“Come on, Molly. Please, you have to wake up.” He said quietly, resting his head on Molly’s.

Molly didn’t respond. 

Caleb was shivering, holding the dead man in his arms, trying to keep him warm with his own torn jacket and scarf. He looked back up at the moon, shining brightly down at him and a tear fell. He looked back down at Molly and began to rock him, pressing his lips to his head and a sob escaped his chest.

“Please Molly. Please wake up. We need you. I need you.” He cried and tightly closed his eyes, still rocking Molly’s corpse. He traced his finger across the peacock feathers that were tattooed up along his neck and that disappeared into his violet hair. Even those seemed dulled against his pale face.

“That’s just like you, huh, Molly? You’re going to make me say it.” He said with a laugh and he turned Molly’s face towards him, rubbing a thumb across his cheek, brushing frost from it. 

“Ich Liebe dich, Mollymauk.” He whispered and hugged him tightly, kissing his head again. 

He sat there, occasionally stoking the fire, occasionally looking back up at the moon while his teeth chattered. His main attention, however, was on Molly. 

He wanted Mollymauk Tealeaf, the lavender Tiefling with the ridiculously ostentatious lifestyle and fashion sense back. He wanted to hear his laugh, a raucous laugh that often made him buckle over or lean back in his chair. He thought back to when he met him. The circus carnie distributing flyers and telling cheap fortunes, shuffling the deck with grace that itself was worth the money. The man who cared about the family he had made at the Circus, who had so graciously invited him when he had nothing, a man who had woken up two years ago with no memories and was determined to make his life memorable. To make each town better than he found it, even if it was just one person.   
The coals popped, and the moon began to set, eventually leaving him in complete darkness, clutching the still body of Mollymauk Tealeaf.

The sun rose, and Caleb could feel his eyes drooping, burning from exhaustion and crying and he had gone stiff from the cold, when he felt a twitch in his arms. It was insignificant, and Caleb paid it little mind as he himself was shivering. 

That startling gasp of air however had certainly drawn his attention. He stared down as Molly gasped, inhaling cold winter air into his lungs and curling into himself, his teeth chattering. A smile spread across Caleb’s face and a relieved laugh broke free from his throat as he tightly clung to Molly. 

Molly looked up at Caleb and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. His chest hurt, and he was cold, and Caleb was crying over him. 

Had he died again? He grimaced as he remembered the glaive through his chest and the grinning visage of Lorenzo over him. He remembered the pain of his smashed ribs and the shock it sent through the rest of his body. He caught sight of the Tiefling sized hole near them, dirt scooped from someone digging.

He looked over at Caleb, who was crying and looked around him. They were the only two there. 

“Where is everyone…? Caleb what happened?” he asked, looking around frantically. Gods, The Iron Shepard’s had killed everyone else, hadn’t they? Caleb wiped his eyes and smiled.

“They’re at Shady Creek Run. I slipped out in the middle of the night to come here.” 

“…did you find me? Did I manage to crawl out of my grave again?” He asked, confused but with a teasing smile on his face. Caleb blushed at his morbid humor and looked around before whispering.

“I asked the Moon weaver. She kept her promise after all!” He said with a laugh, squeezing Molly and Molly blinked. Caleb nodded reassuringly, equally surprised and rubbed his thumb over Molly’s cheek.

“…I’ll be damned…” whispered Molly, running his hand through his hair. He then leaned into Caleb and clutched his shirt.

They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Molly stretched and carefully crawled out of Caleb’s lap, gently swishing his tail and rolling his shoulders. He then held out his hand for Caleb.

“Here, put your coat and scarf back on. You look freezing.” Said Molly and Caleb gave a weak smile and stood up, putting his coat back on. Caleb averted his gaze and clenched his fists before giving a heavy sigh.

“Molly, I umm…I imagine you know what she had me do.” He said hesitantly, and Molly swished his tail, raising an eyebrow. He looked at every inch of Caleb and did a mental inventory of himself, patting his jacket and pants. He was missing a sword, his coin purse and his tarot cards. 

His eyes wandered from the empty grave to Caleb’s hands, covered in dirt and his nails that were bloody and bruised. His eyes were red from tears shed and, on his lips, a tiny bit of blood and dirt had settled. Molly touched his own lips and when he looked back at Caleb, the ginger was blushing hard.

There was something in the back of his head…and Molly knitted his eyebrows together and looked at the ground, swimming through his own thoughts. Finally, he grabbed it, and it was Caleb’s voice.

*Molly, I need you to wake up now. Without you, my heart is empty. Only your laughter can fill my ears, only your eyes can make me smile, and only your lips taste sweet.*  
*Ich Liebe dich, Mollymauk.*

“…Did you mean it…?” He asked, comprehending the foreign words and Caleb nodded.

“I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t meant it.” He said and stepped over to Molly and took his hand. Molly smiled and squeezed it. 

“Thank you, Caleb.” He whispered and kissed him, holding him tightly. Molly’s lips curled into a smile as Caleb returned it and added a peck to his forehead.

“There’s time for that later, ja? Let’s get somewhere warm.” Said Caleb, and Molly couldn’t help but grin wider. 

“Let’s save us some friends.”   
From the tree that had fallen not twenty four hours prior, perched a raven, preening its feathers. Its black eyes were focused on the man helping his lover onto the horse. It gave a caw, drawing the attention of both of them and the ginger nodded solemnly. The Tiefling looked curiously at the bird and back at the man who dismissed the notion of any questions. He returned his gaze back at the bird and then down at his chest. The man pat his back and cracked the reigns, looking back as the bird gave a final call. The raven watched them fade into the distance and spread its wings, having done the job its mistress had asked.


End file.
